BOTM, 10/06: Maker's Mark

[jeff]

Maker's Mark. The ubiquitous redhead known to whiskey drinkers everywhere. Composed of equal parts good bourbon and good marketing, it's difficult to look at a red candle without wanting a drink. The sole product from the little distillery in Loretto, every bottle of Maker's contains the best that they produce, and they sell every bit of it. Not long after an identical distilling operation was put into place to expand production, another expansion is in the works. A nice problem to have. What changes will new ownership bring to Maker's Mark? We'll have to wait and see.

During the recent Bourbon Festival Dave Pickerell, Master Distiller for Maker's Mark, was kind enough to personally tour a group of SB.com members around the distillery. For a couple of hours Dave explained the ins and outs of Maker's Mark. Those in attendance were duly impressed with both the Maker's Mark operation and with Dave himself.

For the generosity showed to our members, their effectiveness at introducing KY bourbon to the masses, and their own consistantly good whiskey, Maker's Mark has been chosen as October's Bourbon of the Month.

Share with us your own Maker's Mark stories and experiences.

:893drillsergeant-thSound off:893drillsergeant-th

[MikeDS]

I'm new to this site so I can't give you a typical sb.com dissection of the drink. However I can say that I was at a wedding reception a few years ago and drank a goodly amount of Maker's. The bride & groom had paid for the "top shelf" liquor package and Maker's was the best of the bourbons. I drank plenty of them on the rocks. Luckily the reception hall was part of a hotel so my lady friend and I adjourned upstairs when the reception was over. It was a great time. I guess the whole point of this post is that Maker's tasted great all night and did not give me whiskey dick. Now that's a bourbon!

[Rancastle]

I'm new to this site so I can't give you a typical sb.com dissection of the drink. However I can say that I was at a wedding reception a few years and drank a goodly amount of Maker's. The bride & groom had paid for the "top shelf" liquor package and Maker's was the best of the bourbons. I drank plenty of them on the rocks. Luckily the reception hall was part of a hotel so my lady friend and I adjourned upstairs when the reception was over. It was a great time. I guess the whole point of this post is that Maker's tasted great all night and did not give me whiskey dick. Now that's a bourbon!

Ya...That wasn't typical...WOW!!!!!!!!!!!:bigeyes: I wonder if Dave knows all the benefits of Makers?

[doubleblank]

I wonder what a Viagra with a Makers chaser would do to you. If it lasts more than four hours, have another drink and call your Dr.?

Randy

[TNbourbon]

Guess I'm going to have to go out and get some of this here "Makes Her Bark".:bigeyes:

[SBOmarc]

I'm new to this site so I can't give you a typical sb.com dissection of the drink. However I can say that I was at a wedding reception a few years ago and drank a goodly amount of Maker's. The bride & groom had paid for the "top shelf" liquor package and Maker's was the best of the bourbons. I drank plenty of them on the rocks. Luckily the reception hall was part of a hotel so my lady friend and I adjourned upstairs when the reception was over. It was a great time. I guess the whole point of this post is that Maker's tasted great all night and did not give me whiskey dick. Now that's a bourbon!

Well, he was right about one thing, That was not a typical sb.com dissection.

I have enjoyed Maker's. However with all of the other pours that I have discovered since joining the board I find that when I return to it Maker's lacks in flavor. It is sometimes my only choice when out at a bar/restaurant. I am also wondering where Maker's goes from here. New ownership and increased production. Do we get more of the same or are we going to see something different?

[jburlowski]

MM is an OK bourbon.... not nearly as good as its marketing and (IMHO) not worth the premium price. I'd put it somewhere above average for "everyday" pours.

About the only time I drink it is when I'm in a bar and the only alternative choice is Beam White or some awful rail brand.

No bad by any means but there are so many others out there that are better values and worthy of ones attention.

[cas]

MM is an OK bourbon.... not nearly as good as its marketing and (IMHO) not worth the premium price. I'd put it somewhere above average for "everyday" pours.

About the only time I drink it is when I'm in a bar and the only alternative choice is Beam White or some awful rail brand.

No bad by any means but there are so many others out there that are better values and worthy of ones attention.

That captures my outlook pretty well.

Craig

[barturtle]

I'm new to this site so I can't give you a typical sb.com dissection of the drink. However I can say that I was at a wedding reception a few years ago and drank a goodly amount of Maker's. The bride & groom had paid for the "top shelf" liquor package and Maker's was the best of the bourbons. I drank plenty of them on the rocks. Luckily the reception hall was part of a hotel so my lady friend and I adjourned upstairs when the reception was over. It was a great time. I guess the whole point of this post is that Maker's tasted great all night and did not give me whiskey dick. Now that's a bourbon!

I think this is a theory that needs some scientific testing. Looking for female volunteers:lol: I am not afraid to put myself up as a guinea pig. I believe this testing should include multiple bottlings to see if it is just Makers or any higher quality bourbon, and to see if it works with upper end scotches as well.

[FlashPuppy]

I have not visited MM in a while so I poured a big healthy one tonight. I am finding it, well, dissapointing tonight. Maybe that is the wrong word, but I it is not holding my attention tonight as well as I remember in the past.

This is one of the rare bourbons which I enjoy on ice, as a general rule I drink all bourbon neat. MM and a Wt101 with dinner are the exception to this.

I feel that this bourbon is just not as good as it could be. I really feel that it would be beneficial for MM to offer some different bottlings. I would love to have a "premium" MM bottle.

[T47]

Makers was what got me started on Bourbon so it has a nice history with me. It is all I drank for the first 6 months or so until my bottles ran dry and that led me here.

After finding SB.com I ventured off to a whole variety of Bourbons which I very much enjoyed. My memory of Makers was that it did not have as much flavor as some of my "new" favorites and I did not revisit it until the week prior to the Ambassador meeting.

I worked it over pretty well for the week before the group meeting. I was pleasantly surprised, it had a nicer flavor than I was remembering, and at least for my tongue, a little more complexity than I recalled as well. I would not concider it a Premium Bourbon if we are talking price, here in WA it goes for $25.95, well below many other bottles.

I find the nose fruity, maybe a hint of oak...the taste is sweet with a little tangy toffee flavor...the finish is mellow, maybe a little fleeting. A nice, soft relaxing drink that does not burn and is not too smooth as well.

[SBOmarc]

MM may see themselves as that premium brand.

The bottom line for me and many others is that MM was our introduction to this world of bourbon passed "everyday" pours.

[cowdery]

Remember our discussion about "smooth"? Well, MM's master distiller, Dave Pickerell, will tell you that what Maker's is all about is eliminating bitterness. Just like the beer commercial. No bitter bourbon. So that is where you get a claim that Maker's Mark is the "smoothest" bourbon.

[T47]

MM may see themselves as that premium brand

I agree with that, and obviously in many cases their marketing works wonders. At the Ambassador meeting I attended, 2 of the guys were absolute Makers drinkers or nothing. One called it the "Gold Standard" of Bourbon. These were guys who could afford to drink anything they wanted, and often, but for them it was nothing but Makers.

On another thread we discussed "brand loyalty" drinking vs. a wider variety. I am a variety kind of guy, it is fun for me to find new bottles and new flavors. If I was forced to pick one bottle as my favorite it would be the GT Stagg I have had. That being said I could not afford to drink it every night nor would I want to.

In the group of people I know, Makers has done an excellent job of "positioning" themselves, and even people who don't drink Bourbon know about Makers, or I should say they know what Makers wants them to know, and that is pretty brilliant marketing.

[mjomalle]

I am new to the world of bourbon and this is my first post to this lovely site. I have drank a fair share of jack and coke and beam and coke. Those were fair replacements for my usual rum and cokes back in my hard boozin party days, but not something i would take up regularly. I just polished off my first bottle of Makers Mark a few days ago and am working on Elijah Craig 12 and Wild Turkey 101. I have to say that I enjoy each quite a bit. Makers Mark really struck me as a pleasureable drink. I think it will eventually be my fallback bourbon, though I plan to continue to explore. I have a feeling it is the wheat that I prefer over the rye. What are some suggestions for other wheat recipe bourbons? I would like to try some everyday pours that fit in a limited budget, as well as some special occasion treats. For the time being, I think I am a Makers Mark man. That is not to say that my loyalty will last beyond some more experimentation.

I look forward to learning from ya'll and expanding my horizons.

[CrispyCritter]

I have a feeling it is the wheat that I prefer over the rye. What are some suggestions for other wheat recipe bourbons?

The Weller bourbons (12yo, Antique 107 proof, and Special Reserve) are quite good. Also, Old Fitzgerald (especially the bonded version). Van Winkle bourbons (Old Rip Van Winkle, or Pappy, or Lot are exceptional.

[mjomalle]

Thanks. I will start trying those out when the fiance permits. I am just getting her used to me having several open bottles at a time. I think I have a place in town that will carry at least most of those bottles.

[M1Paul]

While I have been a bourbon drinker for over thirty years now, my first taste of MM was an very pleasant experience. It too was the start of my explorations of what else was out there. I also find myself leaning to the wheaters, but not always. My most common pour now is the VWFR 12yr old. I feel it has more body and a richness that regular MM is somewhat lacking. I am lucky enough to have picked up a bottle of MM gold 101 and black 95 proof in Japan a few years ago and think the higher proof does add some of the richness that is lacking in the 90 that we can get in the US. Too bad they won't sell those bottles in this country.

Paul

[barturtle]

Today I purchased a nice fresh bottle of Makers. This is something I haven't drank at home for quite a long time. I have had it from time to time when out at bars, but even then it is rare that it would be my choice. However, I found it to be fairly enjoyable. Not a overly complex whisky, but easily drinkable (though I think the pour lasted longer in my glass than many others I drink regularly). I'm thinking that maybe a fresh bottle is much better than the bottles I'm used to at bars, as the ones in bars get opened and then live for the life of the bottle with a pour spout in them, allowing the spirit to oxidize. This would change the flavor (apparently for the worse IMO) from what it was when bottled. Was it worth the money ($21+tax here) not really, as I know several bottlings I prefer for that price or less, but it wasn't nearly the exercise in self punishment that I had expected. I'd give it a 7 outta 10, but I have to take off for the price...so I say it's a 5.

[BourbonJoe]

I'll have to go on record as saying "I like Maker's Mark". Not as much as back in the days of the Gold Capsule 101's, but well enough. I always keep a bottle on hand (but then I also keep a bottle of everything else that's made on hand). Whatever.....I like Makers Mark.

Joe :usflag:

[gothbat]

It’s a good bourbon but it is something that I seldom buy. It’s something to buy in a bar because this is usually the best bourbon most bars have imo. I think a lot of it’s popularity is because of it’s nice packaging, this is after all what got me to try bourbon; I was in the liquor store wanting to try something new and I saw this oddly shaped bottle with a wax seal and bought it. I haven’t had this one in a while but if I recall correctly this bourbon leaves something to be desired because of its price. To put things into perspective a bottle of MM costs $26 or $27, a bottle of WT101 cost’s about $21 so for the cost of the MM I can get a much better, stronger bourbon and a pack of smokes (well, sometimes and depending on the store). But overall, as I said before, it’s a good bourbon. Last time I was in Atlantic City I was a bit disappointed that this was the best the bar at Caesars Palace had to offer me but I ordered a double in a snifter ($12!!!) and found it even more enjoyable than I remembered, it was even from a fresh bottle too.

[mythrenegade]

Ah.... Makers. I love Makers. I really do. This was the bourbon that got me into bourbon, and there's a LOT to be said for that :grin:

I do not consider it a premium priced bourbon, as it's in the same price range as WT101 (and if you read the sept BOTM thread, you know what I think of that), ETL and Eagle Rare 10 Year Old. It's quite a bit less than Elijah Craig 18 year old, Rock Hill, Blanton's etc.

Is Maker's Mark my favorite bourbon? No. That honor goes to Elijah Craig 18 Year Old. Is it second? No, that honor goes to Eagle Rare 10 YO. On the other hand, I keep buying it, and that's the best testimony I can give it. To me there is no such thing as a "standard pour" as I don't think about price when I pour bourbon (with the exception of the Pappy Van Winkel 20, which is a rare treat). Maker's Mark stays in the rotation.

And yes, their marketing kicks serious butt. I have a stack of Maker's Mark christmas cards to send out. I get ambassador emails. Nobody else connects with the customer like Maker's does. I would love a premium bottling of Maker's, but if they took all the honey barrels and made a distillers reserve, I have to think the quality of the standard maker's would suffer. On the other hand, I would LOVE to buy a barrel proof Maker's!

Joel

[Hedmans Brorsa]

What I used to react mostly to, when people here thrashed MM, was the complaints about its high price. This was not the case here in Sweden. Even with our draconian high taxes on hard liquor, I found MM to be reasonably priced. Just a tad more expensive than JB Black or EC 12.

This is, however, no longer the case. After being absent from Sweden for almost a year, MM returned the other month but it wasn´t until yesterday, when I ordered a bottle for this thread, that I realized that it had been the subject of a bizarre increase in price. I now had to pay the equivalent to $56 to get a bottle. This is only a dollar or so cheaper than Rare Breed and way more expensive than WT 101 8yo.

The case for the defence : most people seem to concentrate on the palate when assessing MM. In that particular aspect I agree that there´s not much to write home about. Nice and smooth but hardly earth-shattering material.

What raises the end verdict for me, however, is the fantastic, tantalizing nose (give it the appropriate time to warm in the glass) and the long, complex finish. Whisky, is after all, a three part journey (four, if you count the colour, but I don´t care much for that, personally).

[Bamber]

MM cost £22 here - the same as EC 12yo, £3 more than WT 8yo, £3 more than BT - about the same as a 10yo bottle of single malt Scotch.

I go along with the nyeh it's alright, I'm glad it's around line of thinking. However it is below the others I've mentioned in this post by some margin IMO.

I'd also like to see an older barrel proof version and I'd be willing to pony up £45 or so for a bottle.

[DrinkyBanjo]

I'll agree with most of you that I'll drink this if I want a Bourbon at a bar. I rarely ever drink this at home. However, it makes a VERY tasty Manhattan!